HiRez Poll Fagen, Donald - THE NIGHTFLY [DVD-A/SACD-JAPAN]

[ScottB]

This is one of my few "desert island" albums. I was 19 when it was released, and I used to lie on my bed and turn my speakers toward my ears like giant headphones. This was one of the first SACD's I purchased, and I was just blown away all over again. Donald Fagan/Steely Dan's music really lends itself to a multichannel format. Crisp, clean highs and meticulous production make this one of my all-time favorites.

 

[Simon A]

This is one of my few "desert island" albums. I was 19 when it was released, and I used to lie on my bed and turn my speakers toward my ears like giant headphones. This was one of the first SACD's I purchased, and I was just blown away all over again. Donald Fagan/Steely Dan's music really lends itself to a multichannel format. Crisp, clean highs and meticulous production make this one of my all-time favorites.

Welcome to QQ Scott and I agree 100% with you, what a superb SACD it is. I voted 10.

 

[ScottB]

Welcome to QQ Scott and I agree 100% with you, what a superb SACD it is. I voted 10.

Thank you very much Simon. I discovered this site a few days ago and I'm super-pumped to be a part o it. I've literally spent hours scouring the surround polls. Amazing commentary from this community.

I bought the Super Deluxe Blu ray 50th Anniversary edition of Abbey Road based on the commentary I read on this forum. It will be here within the hour. Can't wait to slap in in the Oppo and crank it up. Thanks again Simon.

 

[humprof]

I've literally spent hours scouring the surround polls. Amazing commentary from this community.

Yes, welcome, Scott B. I've only been here a few years, but I've been stunned not only by the smart and passionate and judicious commentary (not to mention the genuine sense of community and camaraderie--very few egos or trolls on QQ, and disagreements are usually polite), but also by the amazing technical and practical and historical knowledge of many QQ members. Sometimes you'll stumble on that sort of thing by happy accident. But if you set out looking for it, it can be hard to find, as the XenForo search engine tends to be a little wonky. FWIW: I often have better search results with a simple Google search combining the terms "quadraphonicquad" (without the .com) and whatever I'm actually looking for.

 

[ScottB]

Yes, welcome, Scott B. I've only been here a few years, but I've been stunned not only by the smart and passionate and judicious commentary here (not to mention the genuine sense of community and camaraderie--very few egos or trolls on QQ, and disagreements are usually polite), but by the amazing technical and practical and historical knowledge of many QQ members. Sometimes you'll stumble on that sort of thing by happy accident. But if you set out looking for it, it can be hard to find, as the XenForo search engine tends to be a little wonky. FWIW: I often have better search results with a simple Google search combining the terms "quadraphonicquad" (without the .com) and whatever I'm actually looking for.

Thanks for the warm welcome. That’s a great tip on searching this site. I’ve experienced that exact problem already. I’ll remember that going forward.

I’m impressed by the depth of knowledge on here. IMO users on some sites use that to intimidate other people, but I honestly don see a lot of that here. I’m by no means a technical expert. Hell, my ears were shot 30 years ago due to my misspent youth. But I am really enjoying the poll section of the site and appreciate everyone’s kind words. Thanks again.

 

[humprof]

Fagen replied today to Rolling Stone's questions about how he's weathering the pandemic, in the finger-poppin', hep-cat voice of Lester the Nightfly:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/donald-fagen-on-life-in-quarantine-991723/
(Of course, today is International Jazz Day.)

 

[humprof]

Great quarantine cover of "New Frontier" organized by Quebecois drummer Max Sansalone (Rickie Lee Jones) and featuring a-list Montreal jazzers:

 

[Simon A]

Great quarantine cover of "New Frontier" organized by Quebecois drummer Max Sansalone (Rickie Lee Jones) and featuring a-list Montreal jazzers:

Kim Richardson is one of the best voices of the province so I'm really glad to hear her song on this one.

I love how the musicians smile as much as Donald Fagen...

 

[dabl]

FWIW: I often have better search results with a simple Google search combining the terms "quadraphonicquad" (without the .com) and whatever I'm actually looking for.

Actually the right way to do that at google is like this:

blah blah blah site:www.quadraphonicquad.com

 

[humprof]

Actually the right way to do that at google is like this:

blah blah blah site:www.quadraphonicquad.com

I understand that's that's the Google-approved way to do it; functionally it's the same as limiting your Google search to a specific site. (I don't know if XenForo's internal search engine uses Google.) For whatever reason, though, I get better results--or imagine I do--with the above method.

 

[Sashaaa]

Elliot Scheiner makes, as usual, a fantastic 5.1 mix. I feel like nothing else needs to be said haha.

 

[himey]

Elliot Scheiner makes, as usual, a fantastic 5.1 mix. I feel like nothing else needs to be said haha.

Great tunes too! Great memories listening to Nightfly on vinyl on my buddies system back in the day but this 5.1 mix knocks it out of the park.

 

[Sashaaa]

Great tunes too! Great memories listening to Nightfly on vinyl on my buddies system back in the day but this 5.1 mix knocks it out of the park.

Yeah definitely. The music is great.

 

[kap'n krunch]

the DTS DVD is still the DJ!

 

[humprof]

Most Dan fans have probably already heard, but it was announced yesterday that a live version of The Nightfly (together with Northeast Corridor: Steely Dan Live!) will be released September 24th--on Universal, yet (Nightfly | Northeast Corridor). I think both recordings come from the 2018-19 tour. There's already a lot of good-natured carping in fan forums about the amateurish graphic design of the album covers, and some speculation (on the basis of two preview tracks) that the live recordings have been enhanced with studio overdubs and the tasteful use of auto-tune. SDE confirms (in response to a query about a possible surround and/or DVD/Blu-Ray release) that these will be CD & vinyl only. Still, the Steely Dan Band these days is a tight unit packed with fabulous players, and many of the old tunes have been given great arrangements with lots of room for soloing. So there's more to these than just a ploy to make up for lost concert revenue.

 

[humprof]

As of October 1, 2022, this album is officially middle aged. (At 20, the 5.1 mix is only half as old. Ahem.) I’m gonna lock the studio door, put it on repeat, and play it all day long. In my dreams, I can hear the sound of thunder.

(Mort Fega)

 

[humprof]

Anybody who hasn't read new member @JoshM's meticulous comparison of the various (stereo) masterings of The Nightfly--which includes a ton of info about the album's history and recording, as well as subtle and attentive track-by-track descriptions of the mixes--should set aside an hour or so and head on over to Audiophile Style:
https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/the-...version-of-donald-fagen’s-the-nightfly-r1006/

 

[JediJoker]

I'm basing this review on the 2002 DVD-A release.

I'm a longtime Steely Dan fan, having grown up with Pretzel Logic, Aja, and the Decade compilation in regular rotation from my parents' CD collection. This later expanded to include the rest of their studio albums and Alive In America. I daresay there's not a single recorded note of any Steely Dan record I wouldn't recognize and be able to identify.

Donald Fagen's solo records, by contrast, are mostly unfamiliar to me. I decided to start working my way methodically through his four-album catalogue today, beginning—of course—with The Nightfly. I've heard a few of the tunes in passing, but until today, I hadn't properly listened to any of them (let alone the album in full).

So, I began by listening in stereo and watching the "New Frontier" music video. The songs are unmistakably written by Fagen (save "Ruby Baby"), produced by Gary Katz, and engineered by Roger Nichols, without sounding quite like successors to Gaucho. In other words: groovy, enjoyable, sonically infallible, and injected with plenty of wry wit. The production is definitely dated, but mostly in an unibjectionable way with the exception of the closer, "Walk Between The Raindrops," which exclusively uses Nichols' "Wendel-II" drum machine for the drums. The video for "New Frontier" is fun and certainly adds to the understanding enjoyment of the lyrics, at least for me.

But then I put on the Elliot Scheiner surround mix, and... Oh, man, does it cook! I was grooving up a storm in my seat, so much so that at times, I felt I needed to restrain myself in order to maintain an ideal listening position. It's not the most extreme or discrete mix I've heard, but there are plenty of supporting elements in the surrounds throughout, and the whole album feels so much more enveloping and immersive than it ever could in stereo, even on headphones. Any mix that can elevate my enjoyment by such a margin is automatic demo material, in my book. Scheiner always fails to disappoint, doesn't he?

In conclusion...

CONTENT: 3
MIX: 3
FIDELITY: 3
PACKAGING: 1

TOTAL: 10

 

[Snoopy8]

Nightfly became a favourite soon after purchase. A 10 for me.

 

[Malhomme]

Gave it a 9, but hesitated. Not for the music, that is beyond comparison. More for the multichannel mixing that seems a bit shy. Most of the time it would be a front plan, and a rear plan, with rare exceptions. But then, the music is so great...